Illini football preview

Click inside to see the budget and content for the Illini football preview. Note that stories are embargoed until Sunday.

John Supinie

Illini preview budget and content

--Note that stories are embargoed until Sunday.--

PAGE 1

Main story
--5 keys to the season.
Chart: Illini bowl history.
-- Show the Illini bowl game appearances, then list the records the following year.
Illinois schedule
-- Expanded schedule listing time and TV (where available) and a comment with each game.

CHAMPAIGN -- Not bad for a fresh start with new coordinators and a rookie quarterback.

Last fall, Illinois surprised nearly everyone by not only saving coach Ron Zook's job but winning a bowl game for the first time in 11 seasons. Illinois made a strong early impression, leading into the fourth quarter against rival Missouri in football's version of the Braggin' Rights game in St. Louis, then overcame a late-season slide.

The Illini compiled a 7-6 record while tying for fourth in the Big Ten with a 4-4 mark. Now they attempt to win bowl games in consecutive seasons for the first time in the program's history. Here are five keys to the season.

1) Year 2

The Illini faced a crash course a year ago, when offensive coordinator Paul Petrino and defensive coordinator Vic Koenning introduced new systems. Petrino ditched the no-huddle spread offense employed in Zook's first five seasons here with two previous coordinators. Koenning went with his system that allows flexibility between three- and four-man fronts.

With the athletic department's leadership in transition -- athletic director Ron Guenther retired in June, Mike Thomas was hired earlier this month -- Zook may find enough freedom to get more involved. It will be interesting in how Thomas polices the experiment started by Guenther if Zook gets his hands in the mix, which would more likely come on defense.

2) The schedule

Even Zook has a hard time deflecting optimism from a schedule that includes eight home games for the first time in Memorial Stadium history. Illinois hasn't played this many on campus since 1903, and Zook even likes how the schedule breaks between home and road.

"You'd rather play the four at home that you have and go on the road and play the four there,'' Zook said. "We lucked out and got the ones you'd pick. That doesn't mean you're going to win them.''

Illinois makes a return trip to Penn State, where the Illini won for the first time last season. The other three road games come against teams doing some rebuilding -- Indiana, Purdue and Minnesota. By not leaving town until October, the Illini have a great chance to build momentum. Zook also wants a shot at Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan and Northwestern in Memorial Stadium. Those teams combined for a 37-15 record last year

3) Pass more

Illinois finished 10th in the Big Ten last season in passing offense, while averaging 151 yards a game, but quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase threw for 1,044 yards in the final seven games. He passed for 13 touchdowns with just one interception during the season's second half.

Scheelhaase looked sharp early in preseason camp, completing 78 percent of his passes in the first week, Petrino said, an improvement from 49 percent at the same time a year ago. The receiver corps is deeper, and the Illini have more threats at tight end.

4) Defensive line

The loss of Corey Liuget, a first-round pick to the San Diego Chargers, will be hard to fill. Sophomore Akeem Spence is the rising star there, but he plays this season without the benefit of offensive linemen keying on somebody else. He also must overcome a sprained ankle that hampered him in training camp. Otherwise, the defensive tackle spots are filled by converted offensive lineman Craig Wilson, seldom-used Wisdom Onyegbule and redshirt freshmen Jake Howe and Austin Teitsma.

The Illini can shift to a 3-3-5, thus eliminating one defensive tackle and adding a defensive back. That works against spread offenses. It won't work against power teams, such as Ohio State and Wisconsin.

5) Rookies

The Illini are still building depth, and that means relying on true freshmen to fill holes. That will likely happen again this fall, when Zook needs help on offense and defense.

Running backs Donovonn Young and Josh Ferguson provide depth and perhaps the best option behind Jason Ford, the bowling-ball senior who entered preseason camp as a first-stringer with a history of nagging injuries and trips to the coach's doghouse. Jon Davis and Matt LaCosse are athletic tight ends who stretch the field but still need to learn how to block.

Linebackers Ralph Cooper and Henry Dickinson will see playing time.

John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @JohnSupinie.

*****

2011 Illinois football schedule

Time, TV where available. Home games in CAPS

Sept. 3 -- ARKANSAS STATE, 2:30 p.m., BTN

First-team all-Sun Belt QB Ryan Aplin returns after setting four school passing records as a sophomore.

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Sept. 10 -- SOUTH DAKOTA STATE, 11 a.m., BTN

Jackrabbits' 17-3 loss at Nebraska last season was closer than score indicated.

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Sept. 17 -- ARIZONA STATE, 6 p.m., BTN

Middle linebacker Vontaze Burfict has a reputation as the meanest player in college football.

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Sept. 24 -- WESTERN MICHIGAN

It's three years ago, but Illini fans find it hard to forget lost to WMU in Detroit.

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Oct. 1 -- NORTHWESTERN, 11 a.m.

Some experts think QB Dan Persa is the best player in the Big Ten. He must rebound from Achilles injury.

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Oct. 8 -- at Indiana

Looks like a win against Hoosiers and first-year coach Kevin Wilson, but Illini are 2-5 in last seven trips there.

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Oct. 15 -- OHIO STATE

How will Buckeyes react to scandal: rally together or splinter under an interim coach?

Illinois has never won bowl games in back-to-back seasons and rarely has made appearances in consecutive years. Here's a look at the Illini bowl history and the results the following season.

Season/record/bowl/result

1946 /8-2/Rose/Defeated UCLA 45-14

Following season: 5-3-1 record and no bowl berth.

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1951/9-0-1/Rose/Def. Stanford 40-7

Following season: 4-5 while winning two Big Ten games.

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1963/8-1-1/Rose/Def. Washington 17-7

Following season: 6-3 and tied for fourth in Big Ten.

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1982/7-5/Liberty/Lost to Alabama 21-15

Following season: Won title with only 9-0 conference record in Big Ten history.

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1983/10-2/Rose/Lost to UCLA 45-9

Following season: 7-4 overall and tied for second in conference.

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1985/6-5-1/Peach/Lost to Army 31-29

Following season: 4-7 as coach Mike White's magic was running out.

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1988/6-5-1/All-American/Lost to Florida 14-10

Following season: Jeff George takes Illini on thrilling ride.

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1989/10-2/Citrus/Def. Virginia 31-21

Following season: Tied for first in Big Ten.

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1990/8-4/Hall of Fame/Lost to Clemson 30-0

Following season: Coach John Mackovic leaves for Texas.

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1991/6-6/Sun/Lost to UCLA 6-3

Following season: Fifth consecutive bowl berth longest in school history.

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1992/6-5-1/Holiday/Lost to Hawaii 27-17

Following season: After three-game losing streak to start season, finish at 5-6.

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1994/7-5/Liberty/Def. East Carolina 30-0

Following season: No bowl berth with 5-5-1 record despite Kevin Hardy and Simeon Rice, Nos. 2 and 3 in NFL draft.

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1999/8-4/Micronpc.com/Def. Virginia 63-21

Following season: Controversial loss to Michigan sent season into tailspin and 5-6 record.

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2001/10-2/Sugar/Lost to LSU 47-34

Following season: Without QB Kurt Kittner, Illini go 5-7 and never same under coach Ron Turner.

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2007/9-4/Rose/Lost to USC 49-17

Following season: Three-game losing streak, including loss to Western Michigan, ends season at 5-7.

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2010/7-6/Texas/Def. Baylor 38-14

Following season: Illini must overcome loss of three juniors who left early for NFL draft.

*****

Paul Petrino: ‘I just coach my butt off’

RANTOUL -- Paul Petrino knew when it was time to leave the shadow of his brother, Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino, but he waited a year or two longer.

Ready to be a head coach, Petrino will wait for the right opportunity, he said. That's a good thing for Illinois football, although another big season probably lights up Petrino's cell phone. It's how things work in college football. Success turns into phone calls, which turn into job offers.

"That ain't up to me,'' said Petrino, the second-year Illini offensive coordinator. "I just coach my butt off and see what happens. I don't sit around thinking about it and worrying about it. You let other people handle that stuff.''

Such as a good lawyer/agent. Petrino is renting in Champaign. His family lives in a house owned by Mike Locksley, a former Illini offensive coordinator who left for the head coaching job at New Mexico, and it's no secret Petrino wants to be a head coach. Heading into the season, he's the program's biggest asset.

Petrino knows how to coach, and he knows how the play the game. In his mind, he was prepared to be a head coach while serving as offensive coordinator at Arkansas for his brother, who called the shots for the Razorbacks offense.

"I was ready two years ago,'' he said. "It's going to have to be a great situation. I have a real good thing right here. My wife and kids like it here. You coach your butt off, do your best, see what's best for your family and make the best decision.''

No promises.

In his first season with the program, he led Illinois to single-season school records for points scored (423) and points per game (32.54). He did it with a redshirt freshman quarterback known more for running the option than passing it. The Illini also didn't have a proven running back. Now with running back Mikel Leshoure gone to the NFL, Petrino remained confident -- it's a family trait -- and planned on setting more records.

"Jason Ford has been running real well,'' Petrino said. "The two freshmen (backs) are running great. We'll be able to throw it a lot better. That will make it harder to defend us. That's something that's exciting. Nathan is way better at throwing it. Our receivers are better.''

If so, it could be a bidding war. He makes $525,000 as one of the best-paid coordinators in the Big Ten Conference, so he will be choosy. He knew what he wanted when he left Arkansas. Petrino picked a program where the head coach had more experience with the defense.

Why not. Otherwise, that's just like working for his brother at Arkansas. Petrino came here to run the offense and learn the art of recruiting from coach Ron Zook.

"(Bobby) has the best mind of anyone in football,'' Petrino said. "I wanted to stay with him as long as could to make sure that when I left I was ready. I'd recruited Florida for years, so I always knew what a great recruiter coach Zook was. I wanted to come and learn from him to make myself better.''

In the meantime, quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase is loving every minute of it.

"He's as good as it gets,'' said Scheelhaase, who is on his third coordinator since committing to the Illini. "As good of a coach as he is, he'll be a guy always in high demand. There's always that worry. We're happy to have him again.

"We know how far he brought us last year. We know how far we can come this year.''

Running backs coach DeAndre Smith "had no idea'' what he was getting into with Petrino. What he learned from Petrino gives him confidence about winning and someday being a coordinator.

"I learned how to prepare,'' he said. "He knows coaching keys you can get from watching film. It's the tricks of the trade. Maybe another guy doesn't look at it that way, but he's done it over the years.''

Petrino is a keeper, but it's going to be hard to keep him, unless he's bumped up to head coach. You might get one more year out of him as a coordinator. If you're really lucky, it's two years.

"Paul is going to be a head coach,'' said Illini coach Ron Zook. "I understand that, like I wanted to be a head coach. He will when the job's right. I'm not going to sit down and worry about it.''

Petrino isn't worried either.

John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @Johnsupinie.

*****

5 on the way up

These guys will get your attention this season.

1. Donovonn Young. The freshman running back from suburban Houston broke his foot during his junior year, when recruiters in Texas do most of their work. Until Illinois called, North Texas was his only real Division I option. He didn't want to come this far from home, but his father will drive to every game. Man, that's commitment.

Young wants to prove the folks deep in the heart of Texas missed on him. He wears No. 5 -- the jersey number worn by Mikel Leshoure and Rashard Mendenhall, the two big backs in coach Ron Zook's tenure -- and Young could be the next great one. He's even built like Mendenhall.

2. Akeem Spence. The sophomore defensive tackle is the only player at the two interior positions with any real experience. When he sprained an ankle at Camp Rantoul, the gasp could be heard back to Champaign. Besides quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, this is the one Illini they need to keep healthy.

Spence saw the blueprint used by Corey Liuget to become a playmaker on his way to the NFL. The Illini want to see if Spence has the same ability to rise up.

3. Darius Millines. The sophomore wide receiver started making plays late last season, including a highlight reel catch in the Texas Bowl. After surgery to repair a broken foot kept him out of spring practice, Millines took a big step in Camp Rantoul. If A.J. Jenkins wants to be the star receiver, coordinator Paul Petrino said, he must be better than Millines.

4. Jonathan Brown. The sophomore strong-side linebacker is a big hitter, and the Illini could use big plays from the guy who returned an interception 66 yards for a touchdown last season against Indiana. He's from Memphis, where the Illini also found surprising freshman linebacker Henry Dickinson.

5. Justin DuVernois. The freshman punter was leading the position battle before converted placekicker Matt Eller left the team. Now, everything rides on DuVernois, the native of Florida who turned down three other BCS schools for the scholarship offer from the Illini. Special teams face a makeover. Dependable placekicker Derek Dimke was also breaking in a new holder.

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